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A New Zealand man arrested in Lebanon after allegedly being paid to seize children involved in a custody battle is being held by authorities in Beirut and could face kidnapping charges.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) spokesman Brad Tattersfield confirmed that David Bruce Pemberton had been arrested and had received consular visits from the British High Commission, on MFAT's behalf.
He had not yet been charged but had legal representation, Mr Tattersfield said.
"We don't have any sort of role beyond ensuring they have access to legal representation and whatever due process of that country.
"At the end of the day, he'll have to be dealt with by the Lebanese system."
The Weekend Australian reported that Pemberton, an ex-special forces member, was arrested with former Australian soldier Brian Desmond Corrigan but other New Zealanders and an Australian involved escaped.
Pemberton was alleged to be the team leader of a mercenary squad that seized the two daughters of Canadian Melissa Hawach from her estranged Australian husband Joseph Hawach north of Beirut.
Mr Tattersfield confirmed that the two men were picked up at Beirut's international airport on Wednesday afternoon.
If found guilty on charges of kidnapping minors they could be jailed for 15 years.
The Weekend Australian said two more New Zealand mercenaries, reported to be Simon Dunn, 33, and Michael Douglas, 40, and former Australian soldier, James Arak, fled the country.
However, MFAT could not confirm the names of the others involved.
Ms Hawach and her two daughters, Hannah, aged five, and three-year-old Cedar are believed to still be in Lebanon.
Lebanese police said the men were ex-commandos and that Pemberton was hired for a fee to find the girls.
Corrigan arrived on December 9 and was believed to have checked in to the al-Rimal Hotel, in Jounieh, where Hawach was staying with his daughters.
The other four arrived in Lebanon just over a week ago and stayed at the nearby Protodad Hotel.
The alleged abduction took place on Wednesday. The girls were reported to have been whisked away in a Chevrolet van.
Ms Hawach had launched unprecedented legal action late last month against her in-laws and her ex-husband's extended family in a bid to force them to reveal her children's whereabouts.
Hawach, 31, and of Lebanese extraction, had been charged with two counts of abduction under Canadian law, and international arrest and extradition warrants had been issued.
He is alleged to have fled to Lebanon with his daughters at the height of the Hezbollah-Israel war in July and August.
The children have Canadian and Australian citizenship but under Lebanese law they are its citizens and that means the father has custody.
The couple separated two years ago after marrying in Sydney in 1999. Ms Hawach had since returned to Canada.
Lebanese officials say they have seized laptops, DVDs, air tickets, and receipts that suggest at least $40,000 had been spent on the seizure operation.
The men were arrested after one used his own name to rent a hire car and a check of passport records caught him minutes before leaving the country.
The New Zealand Defence Force confirmed today Pemberton was a member of the New Zealand military but left in 2004.
A spokesman refused to reveal any other details about his military service.
- NZPA
